Tracy Pierson of Bruin Report Online gives an update on the status of three companies fighting to lock down the UCLA apparel deal, with one in particular looking to be the favorite.
On April 2, 2016, UCLA became a free agent of sorts in the world of sports apparel. The UCLA Athletic Department had exited the first dealing period with Adidas as their contract has expired and can now open talks with other appeal companies.
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In the weeks since, UCLA has continued to negotiate with Adidas, but have also began talks with Under Armour and Nike about the possibility of partnering up going forward.
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Today, Tracy Pierson from Scout.com‘s UCLA site has reported that there might be one company that has the edge over the other two.
Pierson wrote on Bruin Report Online, “Even though the process is far from over, and all bids aren’t in yet, the word on the street is that Under Armour looks to be the leader in the sweepstakes to be UCLA’s next apparel supplier.”
At this point, no information has been released on the amount of the deal or the specifics as UCLA is far from settling on an apparel company at present, but apparently Under Armor will put in place a “very lucrative deal”, which would out do whatever Adidas has to offer.
UA sees this as a very ideal matchup as they are trying to grow their brand on the west coast. They already have deals with Pac-12 schools Utah and Cal (which finalized their deal last week) and if they are allowed to replace Adidas, UCLA could be Under Armor’s “west coast flagship” program.
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Pierson added that things are not over and could change, but at the moment, it seems UCLA could be maching up with Under Armour.
UPDATE!
On the morning of Wednesday, April 27, Bruin Report Online released more information on the apparel deal. According to Tracy Pierson of BRO, “The consensus from various sources close to the apparel companies is that Under Armour is proposing $20.8 million per year, all in. Adidas’s bid, according to sources, currently stands at $20 million.”
Either one of these deals will be the biggest apparel deals in the nation.